


Be the One

by bavariansugarcookie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bisexual Archie Andrews, Demisexual Jughead Jones, F/F, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pining, Soft boys being soft, just guys being dudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:12:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: As if life in Riverdale wasn't already complicated enough, Archie realizes that he has feelings for his best friend. Now he just has to decide what to do about it.





	1. Tongue Tied

Archie’s heartbeat was still oddly fast as he walked down the hallway with Jughead. It was just because he had been startled to find Jughead in the locker room so early. That’s all. 

He peered into the closet, and his jaw dropped. “Jughead, how long have you been sleeping here?”

Jughead shrugged, his jaw set the way it always did when he was going to be stubborn. “Since the drive in closed.”

Archie sighed. “No wonder you didn’t want it to shut down.”

Jughead shrugged again. “Yeah. Things haven’t been... good at home since my dad lost his job.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jughead caught Archie’s eye, and looked away. “It’s fine, I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

“Juggie,” Archie said softly. “Come stay with me. You know my Dad will say yes.”

Jughead shook his head. “I can’t, you know --”

Archie caught his arm. “Juggie, you don’t have to do everything alone. Let me take care of you. You’re my best friend”

Jughead’s face crumpled, and he finally nodded. “Alright. I will.”

Archie beamed, and threw his arm around Jughead’s shoulders. “It’ll be like the old days, when we’d stay up all night playing Mario Kart.”

Jughead gave a weak smile. “I hope you’re ready for me to kick your ass.”

“In your dreams,” Archie scoffed. He squeezed Jughead’s shoulder as the bell rang. “I’m glad you’re coming, Jughead.”

Jughead nodded and patted Archie’s shoulder awkwardly. “Me too. I’ll see ya later, Arch.” He turned down the hall for English class, and Archie reluctantly headed for precal. 

***

“Geraldine, no! Don’t!”

Archie sat bolt upright in bed, covered in sweat. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, tried to remember where he was. Jughead sat up, his hair sticking up all over the place. “Archie, it’s ok. You’re ok.”

Archie nodded, but he still couldn’t breathe, couldn’t shake that tightness in his chest. Jughead sat down on the bed, took one of Archie’s hands and held it against his chest. “Breathe with me, Arch. In... out. In... out.” 

Archie closed his eyes, tried to focus on Jughead’s voice and his heart thumping against his fingertips. Gradually the panic faded away and he could breathe again. He sighed. “Thanks, Juggie.”

“No problem,” Jughead said, peering at Archie closely. “Bad dream?”

“Yeah,” Archie said, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I keep dreaming about that day at the river. But this time, when the gun went off, I turned to tell Grundy we needed to get help, but she was wearing the wolf mask, and she grabbed me…” Archie shuddered. “And then I woke up.”

“Where is it?” Jughead said. Archie looked at him, confused. “Where’s the mask?”

Archie pointed. “In the old toy box.”

“Ok, tomorrow morning when you’re in the shower I’m going to get rid of it,” Jughead said. “And… maybe you need to talk to someone. About what happened with Grundy.”

Archie groaned. “I can’t, I just -- I’ve been going over everything that happened, over and over and over, and I’ve been wondering if she really did care about me. Or if she was lying the whole time. If she was just...”

“Using you?” Jughead said softly.

“Yeah,” Archie admitted. “And I can’t face that, because if she was just using me then I lied to my dad for her, I kept secrets for her, I hurt you for her… and it was all for nothing.” He leaned his head back against the wall and whispered, “Then I’m the stupidest person in Riverdale.”

“You are NOT stupid, Archie,” Jughead hissed. “Listen to me. You’re just a kid, and she manipulated you. It isn’t your fault!”

“But I shut you out,” Archie said. “I bailed on that road trip, and then I couldn’t tell you why, and I just disappeared. I didn’t even know you weren’t staying with your dad…”

“Hey,” Jughead said. “I was hurt when you bailed, but only because I thought you didn’t care. About me. That you didn’t want to be my friend anymore.”

“And I  _ let  _ you think that,” Archie said, but Jughead shook his head.

“Look, I don’t know how much of what Grundy told you was true. But toxic people like that, they try to isolate you so you feel like they’re the only person that cares about you.” Jughead bumped Archie’s knee with his. “But it’s bullshit. I never stopped caring. You never stopped caring. It would take more than some music teacher to stop us from being friends.”

Archie smiled sadly. “Thanks, Juggie. I don’t deserve you.”

“You don’t get it, Arch,” Jughead said. “We’re going to let each other down. All that matters is that we pick each other up afterwards.”

Archie suddenly yawned and Jughead looked over at the clock. 

“Shit, it’s almost 4 am. We should probably get some sleep before school.” He slid off the bed and wrapped himself in the comforter. “See you in the morning, Archie.”

Archie laid down, “Thanks, Juggie. I mean it.”

Jughead smiled sleepily. “What’re friends for?” 

“Yeah. Goodnight, Jughead,” Archie whispered. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling until he finally dozed off.

***

Betty was talking about Polly when Jughead wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Veronica shot Archie a “What is happening??” look, and he shrugged. But the way Jughead was looking at Betty made Archie’s chest tighten. Was he… jealous? But he didn’t have feelings like that for Betty....

Archie ducked under Reggie’s arm as he mimicked his game winning throw in the hallway. “So… you and Betty?”

Jughead glanced up at Archie and blushed.  _ Jughead  _ was blushing? “Yeah, we… kinda kissed. In her room. That’s ok, right? Like, you said you just saw her as a friend, so…”

“No, it’s totally fine,” Archie said a little too loudly. “You’re great, and she’s great, so it’s great.”

Jughead raised an eyebrow. “Great?”

Archie laughed self consciously. “I just mean, you guys are my best friends, and I want you to be happy. So if you make each other happy, than I’m happy.”

Jughead looked at him with a soft smile Archie had never seen before. “She is pretty great.”

“She is,” Archie said. “I’m really happy for you.”

And he was. But sometimes, when Jughead wrapped his arm around Betty’s shoulders or kissed her temple when he thought no one was looking, Archie would feel that twinge of sadness in his chest. Sometimes, he wished Jughead was looking at  _ him  _ like that.

Which was beyond stupid, Jughead was his best friend, and he would never do anything to risk losing that. So he buried it, just like he buried everything else. 

And then one day Ronnie gave him that gleeful look that said she was about to drag him along on one of her schemes and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Betty howled with laughter when Ronnie described the “sneak attack” later and Jughead smirked. “We’d all better be on our toes now,” he said. “Now that Veronica Lodge and Archie Andrews have joined forces they’ll take over Riverdale in 3 months.”

Ronnie smiled, her dimples flashing. “Aww, Jughead. It’ll take 2 months, tops.”

Things settled into a new normal -- as normal as possible for Riverdale, anyway. Archie would meet the others at Pop’s after football practice, and Betty and Jughead would tell them about their latest scoop for the paper. Veronica would elaborate on her latest master plan and Archie would laugh and kiss her. 

But sometimes Jughead would give him that knowing look when Betty and Veronica were whispering and giggling and Archie would feel that pang of longing all over again.

***

One day Veronica found Archie at his locker. “Archiekins? Can we talk?”

“Sure,” he said, shutting the locker door. “What’s up?”

Veronica chewed on her lip. “Remember when I first moved here and I thought Betty would hate me forever after that stupid 7 minutes in heaven at Cheryl’s house?”

“Uh, yeah,” Archie said, taken aback.

“And I told you that I felt Betty and I were destined to be friends, but that I was watching the life I could have had slip away?”

“Yeah…” Archie leaned against the locker. “Is everything ok, Ronnie?”

Veronica looked up at him and smiled, but she was blinking back tears. “Yeah! I’m fine.” He raised an eyebrow and she laughed. “Ok, I’m a mess actually, but what else is new. I just… I have that feeling again, and I think I need to figure some things out, and until I do…”

“You think we should break up?” Archie said gently.

“Yes? I’m so sorry,” Veronica buried her face in her hands. “I know it’s so unfair, and you’re the best boyfriend, but things are just so confusing right now…”

Archie put his hands on her shoulders. “Ronnie, it’s ok, I get it. If you need space, we’ll take a break.”

Veronica dabbed a stray tear away. “Thanks, Archiekins. You really are the best.” She stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I guess now I should head to physics,” she said with a weak laugh.

Archie caught her arm. “Ronnie… I hope you figure it out. I really do just want you to be happy.”

She smiled and squeezed his arm. “Thanks. Now if you don’t stop being sweet I’ll really start crying, and then we’ll really be in trouble.” She took a step back and waved, and then took off for the physics room, her heels clicking on the tile floor.

Later at lunch Jughead and Betty came to the table first. “I heard about you and Veronica,” Betty said. “I’m really sorry, Archie.”

Archie sighed. “It’s ok. We’re still friends, she just said she needed some space to figure some things out.”

Jughead was watching Archie thoughtfully, and Betty said, “Did she say what she was trying to figure out?”

Just then Veronica walked into the lunchroom and her face lit up when she caught sight of Betty. “She... didn’t say specifically,” Archie said. 

Betty nodded and then noticed Veronica walking over. She scooted over so Veronica could sit next to her. “Hey, Ronnie, how are you?”

Veronica smiled and shrugged. “I’m ok? I definitely need to do something tonight, otherwise I will spend  _ way  _ too much money on online retail therapy.”

Betty smiled. “Well, why don’t I come over? We can watch a movie, paint our nails, do a face mask…”

Veronica beamed. “That sounds perfect!” 

Jughead nudged Archie’s leg under the table. “Sounds like we have a date for some Mario Kart tonight.”

Archie’s brain went into overdrive when Jughead said the word  _ date _ , but then he realized what Jughead meant. _Don’t make it weird, Andrews_ , he thought. Out loud, he said, “I’m down. I’m a little out of practice, so maybe you can beat me for once.”

Jughead rolled his eyes and pointed at Archie with a French fry. “You’re on.”

***

Archie was pulling a pizza out of the oven when he caught his thumb on the oven rack. “Shit!” he hissed, just as there was a knock on the door. He shoved his thumb into his mouth as he ran to the door.

Jughead raised his eyebrows. “You ok?”

Archie frowned and then realized he still had his thumb in his mouth and took it out. “Yeah, I just burned my thumb. But I made pizza!”

“ _ You  _ made it? Are we sure it's edible?” Jughead quipped.

Archie rolled his eyes. “Har har. Fine, Digiorno  _ technically _ made it, but I baked it!”

Jughead laughed. “Well that's a relief! But forget the pizza, you need to get your hand under cold water, come on!” He grabbed Archie’s arm and dragged him into the kitchen. Archie followed obediently and stood with his hand under the stream of water while Jughead pulled out a knife and cut the pizza. 

“So, how’re you?” Jughead said, with his mouth full.

“Fine,” Archie said, and Jughead pursed his lips skeptically. “Really,” Archie protested, finally drying off his hand and reaching for a piece of pizza. 

“Arch…” Jughead said, but Archie shook his head.

“What do you want me to say, Juggie? She needs space, and I just want her to be happy.”

“You always say that,” Jughead said. “You want me to be happy, you want Betty and Veronica to be happy. But what do  _ you  _ want? What would make  _ you  _ happy?”

Suddenly Archie was imagining holding hands with Jughead in the booth at Pop’s, cuddling during a movie, Jughead’s lips tracing down his neck… 

He shook himself out of the daydream and shrugged. “I don’t know, Juggie,” he said. “I’m trying to figure it out too.” 

Jughead looked at him a little sadly. Archie smiled brightly. “It’s fine, really, Juggie. Come on, it’s time for me to beat my high score in Mario Kart.”

Jughead gave him that exasperated look Archie secretly loved. “Don’t you mean it’s time for  _ me _ to beat your high score?”

“You wish!” Archie said, grabbing one last piece of pizza and bolting up the stairs.

***

Archie was working on a new song on Sunday morning when Jughead came in and collapsed on the air mattress. Archie leaned over. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah. Well, sort of?” Jughead sighed. “Betty and I broke up.”

“What? Why?” Archie asked, putting his guitar down on the bed. “You guys seemed so great together.”

“I know.” Jughead sighed. “I can’t explain it, I just woke up one morning and everything was different. And it turns out she felt the same way.”

Archie rested his chin on his knee. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Jughead said. “I still love her, I just… don’t love her the way I did before.”

“Well, you guys can still be friends, right? That really helps.”

“Yeah. Right now it just sucks though.” Jughead sighed. “I just… don’t really know what to do now.”

“I know the feeling,” Archie said. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

Jughead sat up. “Yeah, do you think we could drive up to the bluff? I think I need to get out of Riverdale for a little while.”

“Definitely,” Archie said, getting up and grabbing his keys. “Let’s go.”

Half an hour later they had stopped to pick up roadtrip snacks from the gas station and they were on their way. Archie let Jughead pick the music, and of course he picked an obscure band Archie had never heard of. The leaves were still bright, and the light flickered red and orange through the branches. 

Jughead took a big bite of his Twizzler. “So how’re you holding up since you and Ronnie broke up?”

“Pretty good,” Archie said. “Ya know, this is the first time we’ve both been single in a long time.”

Jughead shot him a look. “Well that’s pretty normal for  _ me _ . But I’m not the dreamy football player.”

Archie laughed, hoping Jughead couldn’t tell he was blushing. “Come on, Juggie, you’re way overselling me.”

“Mhmmm,” Jughead said, smirking. 

“Well, you’re the writer. Girls like sensitive guys,” Archie said.

Jughead scoffed. “Girls think I’m weird.”

“Their loss,” Archie said softly, carefully keeping his eyes on the road. 

“Awww, shucks, Arch,” Jughead quipped, but when Archie snuck a look his cheeks were pink. 

Eventually they reached the overlook, and Archie pulled over. He grabbed the chips and drinks and a blanket, and they found a spot in the shade. Jughead laid down on his stomach, looking down at the valley below, and Archie leaned back, watching the tree branches sway in the breeze. 

“It looks so small from up here,” Jughead murmured. Archie looked down and followed his gaze down to Riverdale. “But when you’re down there all the feuds and drama take over. It’s exhausting.” He flipped over onto his back, and Archie carefully avoided looking at the sliver of skin that showed when his shirt rode up. 

Jughead opened one eye and squinted up at Archie. “Do you ever want something so much, but you don’t know how to get there?”

Archie’s eyes ran over the dark curls, the furrowed brow, and the hand resting lazily on his chest. “Yeah, I do,” he whispered. 

Jughead reached out and put his hand on Archie’s knee. “We’ll do it someday,” he said. “Right after graduation. We’ll drive away from the Blossoms and the Coopers and the Serpents and never look back. I can write and you can do your music.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “We’ll make it out of here,” he said, with that stubborn fierceness Archie couldn’t resist.

Archie wanted to lean down and kiss him, run his fingers through his hair. But instead he just smiled. “I’m game. We can go anywhere you want. Just say the word.”

Jughead smiled and closed his eyes. “I can’t wait.”

Archie smiled and looked out across the valley, happy to be sitting together in the sun.


	2. Shut Up and Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accidental confessions, a pact with Veronica, school dances, a run in with Cheryl Blossom. Poor Archie!

Archie came home from practice and found a note from his Dad that he’d be working late, along with $10 for dinner. He texted Jughead, who sent back a cryptic text about following a lead.

“Ok, I’m headed to Pop’s for dinner,” he replied. “Come meet me if you finish early.”

He drove to Pop’s and shivered in the cold breeze as he ran for the door. The bell chimed over his head and he saw Veronica sitting in their usual booth, all by herself. “Mind if I join you?”

She looked up and smiled. “Of course, Archiekins,” she said. “Where’s Jughead?”

“Working on a story,” he said, sliding into the booth across from her. “Where’s Betty?”

“At a doctor’s appointment with Polly,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Doing her best to keep Penelope Blossom’s claws off of Polly and the twins.”

Archie grimaced. “Yikes.”

“I know,” Veronica shuddered. “I can’t even imagine. I spent 3 hours in Penelope’s presence and I swear if I’d been in the room with her for one more second I would’ve run away screaming.”

Archie snorted. “No way,” he said. “You would’ve thought of some crushing insult and sailed away. It’d take more than Penelope Blossom to send you running.”

Veronica smiled as Lisa came over with a chocolate milkshake. “Here’s your shake, sweetie, and your burger will be out in just a second,” she said to Veronica as she put it carefully on the table. “Can I get you anythin’ darlin?” she asked Archie.

“Yeah, can I get a burger and fries… and an oreo shake, please?” Lisa nodded and took the menu that lay, unopened, in front of him.

“So what have you been up to?” Archie asked, folding his arms and resting his elbows on the table. His mom would’ve been appalled.

Veronica gave a long sigh. “Well, speaking of the Blossoms, Cheryl and I got in a huge argument over the dance theme. She wanted to do The Great Gatsby, and I told her it’s not Pinterest from 2013, and also, how could we have a dance theme for a book most kids looked up on SparkNotes instead of reading?”

Archie groaned. “I forgot the dance was coming up.”

“How could you, Archie, there are signs everywhere?” Veronica said. “And while I did convince Cheryl that the 1920’s theme has been done _to death_ , she decided on doing an Alfred Hitchcock theme instead.”

Archie smiled softly. “Jughead will love that.”

“Well he and Cheryl do share a macabre streak,” Veronica said with a grin, “But I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Archie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“All the stars in his movies were _blonde_ !” Veronica said. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to dress for the theme! And I can’t dye my hair blonde, I tried that in 8th grade and it did _not_ work on me.”

“Hmmm,” Archie said. “I don’t know what to do about that. Maybe you should talk to Jughead, he might have some ideas.”

“That’s true,” she said. She took a sip of her milkshake and then asked, “So, do you know who you’re going to ask to the dance yet?”

“Oh, I uh, hadn’t thought about it,” Archie said, turning bright red.

“Well, I was thinking maybe the four of us could go in a group?” Veronica said hesitatingly. “And maybe Kevin too, since Joaquin probably won’t want to come to a dance at the high school. But if there’s a girl you want to ask, that’s totally fine,” she said, blushing.

“No, that sounds like a great plan. There aren’t really any girls I’d want to ask anyway,” Archie said, relieved.

Veronica looked up from her milkshake slowly. “There are no _girls_ you want to ask?”

Archie suddenly realized he’d made a horrible mistake. “You know what I mean, Ronnie,” he protested, but she leaned across the table.

“Archie Andrews,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Is there a _boy_ you want to ask?”

Archie groaned and buried his head in his arms, and Veronica put her hand on his forearm. “Archie, that’s so cute! Who is it?? No wait, you don’t have to tell me.” She leaned back and took another sip of her milkshake, but when Archie braved taking a glance up at her he could tell she was about to burst with questions.

He sighed and sat up. “Don’t get too excited, Ronnie, nothing’s going to happen.”

“How do you know? Have you _talked_ to him?” She pointed her spoon at him. “You are a great guy, and any guy who can’t see that is an idiot who’s not worth your time.”

“It’s not that,” Archie said. “It’s just that he’s straight, so it’s not like talking to him would change that…”

“Do you _know_ he’s straight?” Veronica asked. “Because I thought you were straight until 2 minutes ago, so maybe he’s not either.”

“Well, how am I supposed to find that out without being super obvious?”

“I could ask for you.”

“Ronnie, you can’t just ask people if they’re straight!” Archie said, horrified.

She pursed her lips. “Hmmm, I guess you’re right. That might not go over so well....” She suddenly looked up with that “I have an idea” glint in her eye that meant nothing but trouble. Archie briefly considered hiding under the table and never coming out, but luckily Lisa came up with their burgers and his milkshake as a distraction.

Unfortunately, the second she was out of earshot Veronica said, “Betty could always ask for you.” She dipped a french fry in her ketchup and took a bite as Archie spluttered.

“Ronnie, that’s the worst idea in the history of bad ideas!”

Veronica shook her head stubbornly. “She wouldn’t be asking _for you_ , she could just say it’s for an article about teenage sexuality in the 21st century or something. I’m sure Jughead could help too.”

Archie was suddenly sure he was stuck in his own worst nightmare. “Ronnie, _please_ do not ask them to do this. Please?”

Veronica suddenly deflated. “Ok, I won’t,” she said sheepishly, putting her hand over his. “I’m sorry, I just got carried away.”

Archie smiled weakly. “It’s ok. It’s kinda nice that you’re excited at least, cause I know some people wouldn’t be.”

“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. “Your dad wouldn’t care, would he?”

“No,” Archie said. “But some of the guys on the football team might not be as… accepting.”

He took a sip of his milkshake but when Veronica said, “Yeah, I was hoping you didn’t have a crush on Reggie...” he almost choked on it.

“I _don’t_ have a crush on Reggie,” he finally spluttered.

“Well, _that’s_ a relief,” Veronica said. “Cause based on some of his previous statements I don’t think he would take that very well.”

“Definitely not,” Archie said, shuddering at the thought of it.

“Are you worried about that? What the football players would say?” she asked, taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

“Not really, I mean, it wouldn’t be _fun_. But I’d be more worried about Jug-- Shit...” Veronica’s eyes were suddenly as big as saucers, and she squeaked as she put her burger down.

“Oh my God, you like _Jughead_??” she whispered. She reached across and shook his arm. “That’s sooooo cuuuute, oh my God!”

Archie felt his cheeks burning. “Ronnie…”

“Ok, you _have_ to talk to him!! You don’t have to worry about him, he’s not a neanderthal football player.” Archie smirked and she waved her hand. “Oh stop, you know I don’t mean you.”

Archie laughed, but Veronica pressed on. “Seriously, you just need to talk to him. What do you have to lose?”

“Um, our friendship?” Archie said. “We weren’t talking at the beginning of the summer, and I can’t handle that again.”

“But you made up,” Veronica said. “And it’s _Jughead_. You tell each other everything.”

Archie picked up a french fry and dipped it in the ketchup. “So, that means you’re going to talk to Betty, right?”

Veronica’s jaw dropped, but then she tilted her head the way she always did when she was flustered and trying to hide it. “What do you mean?” Archie raised an eyebrow and she covered her face with her hands and groaned. “How did you know?”

“Well, telling me you feel destined to be friends with Betty and that you needed to figure things out when we broke up was a clue,” Archie said gently. Veronica groaned again.

“I’m doomed.” She peeked at him between her fingers. “Do you think Betty knows?”

“I don’t think so,” Archie said. He reached across the table and took her hand. “But it’s _Betty_. You know she loves you.”

“But I don’t know if she loves me like _that._ ” She suddenly laughed. “Ok, I get what you were saying about Jughead now.”

“Yeah,” Archie said, absent-mindedly tracing circles on her wrist with his thumb. “So _now_ what are we gonna do?”

Veronica pursed her lips thoughtfully. “We could _both_ tell them.”

Archie started to protest, but Veronica squeezed his hand. “We'll make a pact. We'll both talk to our respective crushes before the dance is over. And no matter what happens, we'll meet at Pop's after.”

Archie thought for a minute. “Ok, I'll do it.”

Veronica beamed and held out her milkshake glass to cheers. “Here goes nothing,” she said, a little higher pitched than normal.

“Hey, if worse comes to worst, we can always drown our sorrows in milkshakes,” Archie said, and Veronica laughed.

“My mom always says nothing cures a broken heart like ice cream.”

Just then Lisa came to check on them. “You two are just the cutest couple,” she said. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

Archie did his best to keep a straight face, but as soon as Lisa walked away to get Veronica a refill of water they both burst out laughing.

They were still giggling when the door chimed and Archie turned to see Jughead walking in. “Well you two are in a good mood,” he said as he hopped the booth to sit next to Archie. “What'd I miss?”

Archie shot a panicked glance at Veronica, but she just smiled slyly. “You had to be there,” she said, swirling a French fry in her ketchup and taking a bite.

***

Archie got more and more nervous the closer it got to the dance. After football practice he started bringing homework or songs to Pop’s so he could sit with Jughead while he worked on his novel. The silence was calming, although he couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different at the end of the week.

Finally, the night of the dance, Archie was tying his dad’s gray tie when Jughead poked his head in. “Nice. Roger Thornhill?” he asked.

“Yep.” Archie said. He looked over at Jughead, wearing a blue button up shirt and carrying a pair of binoculars. “Rear Window?”

Jughead grinned. “Yeah. I’m L.B. Jefferies.” He waved the binoculars. “It seemed fitting since he’s a journalist trying to solve a murder.”

Archie smiled. “Yeah, it’s perfect.” He grabbed his gray suit jacket from the bed and put it on. “How do I look?”

“Like a ginger Cary Grant,” Jughead said. “Hold on, your tie is a little crooked.” He walked over and reached up to adjust the tie, and Archie was torn between wanting to lean in and kiss him and desperately hoping he wasn’t blushing. “Perfect,” Jughead murmured.

He patted Archie’s shoulder. “We’d better go, we’re meeting the girls at the school, right?”

“Right. And then we’re going to Pop’s afterwards.”

“So _that’s_ how they talked me into going to a school function,” Jughead said. “I was wondering how they got me to agree to this.”

Archie laughed. “You talk a big talk, but even you can’t stand up to Betty _and_ Veronica for long.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jughead said, grinning despite himself. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Archie and Jughead got to the school before the girls, and Jughead made a beeline for the snacks table. Archie went to go get drinks, and when he came back Kevin was chatting with Jughead. “Hey,” Kevin said, pointing at Archie, “another Roger Thornhill.”

“Twins,” Jughead said, winking at Archie. Kevin laughed.

“Well at least Cheryl made sure no one will match her,” he said, pointing across the room. Cheryl was holding court in a bright red dress with lace sleeves and a short blonde wig.

“Bold move going with Dial M for Murder,” Jughead said. “Here’s hoping she didn’t bring any scissors.”

Just then, Betty and Veronica walked in -- holding hands.

“Ho-lee shit,” Kevin breathed, and ran over. Jughead looked over at Archie, eyebrows raised.

“Come on,” Archie said. “I want to go say hi.”

They walked up just in time to hear Kevin say, “Congrats! It took you two long enough!”

“What do you mean ‘took us long enough?’” Betty asked incredulously.

“I’ve been waiting for you guys to figure out that you were into each other basically since Veronica moved here!” Kevin said.

“Keeevin,” Veronica said, blushing. “What’re you talking about?”

“Veronica, you bought her flowers after you’d known her for 30 seconds,” Kevin teased. “You weren’t fooling anyone. Except for Betty, obviously.”

They all laughed. “But they were yellow!” Veronica protested. “Yellow means friendship!”

“Umm, hate to break it to you,” Jughead said. “But you know no one has paid attention to flower meanings since Victorian times, right?”

Veronica blushed and covered her face with her hands but Betty laughed. “I bought it,” she murmured, wrapping her arm around Veronica’s shoulders and kissing her cheek.

“This requires a toast,” Kevin said. “Jughead, do you want to come help me with drinks?” Jughead shot a pleading look at Archie, but before Archie could intervene Kevin dragged him away.

He turned to Betty and Veronica. “Seriously guys, I’m really, really happy for you both.”

Betty beamed and stood on tiptoe to throw her arms around him. “Thanks Archie! It means a lot.”

“It’s actually thanks to Archie I had the nerve to talk to you,” Veronica said. “Speaking of, what about you, Archie?”

“Uh, I haven’t gotten a chance yet,” he said, looking down at his shoes.

She wagged her finger at him jokingly. “You’d better get on it, Archiekins. The clock’s ticking.”

“Get on what?” Betty said. “I’m missing something.”

Veronica was about to explain when the others came up. “Here we go,” Kevin said, handing out the drinks. “To Betty and Veronica!”

“To Betty and Veronica!” the others said, and the girls beamed.

“Ok, now time to dance!” Kevin said, grabbing the girls’ hands and pulling them toward the dance floor.

Archie glanced over at Jughead. “Hold on one second,” he said, and then caught up with the girls. He caught Veronica’s arm. “Hey, I think I’m gonna go.”

Veronica looked over at Jughead and grinned. “Ok, see you at Pop’s afterwards?”

Archie took a deep breath. “Yep.”

“Great! Go get him, tiger.” 

“Wait, get ‘him?’” Betty said. She looked over at Veronica. “Who’s him?”

Veronica laughed. “I’ll fill her in, you go!”

Archie turned and walked away, but hearing Betty squeal, “ _What?_ ” made him walk a little faster.

It took him a minute to find Jughead again, and when he did, Jughead was stuck talking to Cheryl. “You haven’t come to any of the dances before, Jughead.” Cheryl said, tilting her head. “Why now?”

“What can I say?” Jughead said, deadpan. “I’m a sucker for a theme.”

“But your costume isn’t totally accurate is it?” Cheryl said innocently.

“Did you want me to use a wheelchair as a prop? Or to actually break my leg?” Jughead said and Archie decided it was time to jump in.

He touched Jughead’s elbow. “You wanna get out of here?”

Jughead looked at him, relieved. “I thought you’d never ask.” He turned to Cheryl. “See ya around, Cheryl. Excellent femme fatale impression.”

As they walked out, Jughead leaned over. “Thanks for saving me,” he whispered.

Archie grinned. “Any time.” He held the door open. “Ready for Pop’s?”

“Always,” Jughead said incredulously, power walking toward the pickup truck.

On the way, Jughead looked over at Archie. “So, how are you feeling?” Archie looked over at him, confused. “About Betty and Veronica,” he clarified.

“Oh, fine. I was the one who told Veronica she needed to talk to Betty.”

“Really? You knew?”

Archie laughed. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. She mentioned Betty and her destiny when she said she needed to figure things out. It didn’t exactly take a detective to put two and two together.”

“Oh wow, they both had it bad for each other, didn’t they?” Jughead said.

“Oh, Betty talked to you too?” Archie asked.

“Yeah, when we both realized our feelings had changed,” Jughead said. He sounded shy for some reason.

Archie bit his lip. “Hey, do you wanna get our burgers to go? I was thinking maybe we could drive up to the overlook.”

“Sure thing,” Jughead said.

“Awesome,” Archie said, just as he pulled into the parking lot.

Everyone else in town was at the dance, so in just a few minutes they were running out the door with their food.

They snacked on their burgers and fries and sang along with Keane -- one of the few bands they both agreed on.

They finally reached the overlook, and Archie pulled out the blanket and laid it out just past the trees so they could look out at the city lights and the stars at the same time.

Jughead grabbed the drinks and came out to sit on the blanket next to him. “Man, I did _not_ think it was gonna be this cold tonight,” he said, folding his arms close to his chest.

“Oh here, take my jacket,” Archie said.

“No, I'm ok…” Jughead said, but Archie was already shrugging the jacket off and draping it over Jughead's shoulders. “Thanks,” Jughead said sheepishly, sliding his arms through the sleeves.

“No problem,” Archie said, leaning back and looking up at the stars.

Jughead took a sip of his root beer. “Well overall, I’d say that was a decent school dance.”

Archie laughed. “It was your first one. And we were only there for half an hour!”

“Exactly,” Jughead said with a grin. “I never thought we’d get out of there so fast.”

“Well, you can thank Veronica for that,” Archie said. “We kind of made a pact a week ago and I needed to hold up my end of the bargain.”

“A pact? For what?”

_Well, here goes nothing,_ Archie thought. “Well, I told her she needed to talk to Betty, and she said she’d do it if I did.”  


“So who’s the lucky girl?” Jughead asked, taking another long sip of root beer.

“Actually… it’s not a girl,” Archie murmured.

Jughead coughed. “Huh?”

“Well… I realized I like this guy…” Archie took a deep breath. _Now or never, Andrews_. “He’s a writer, so he’s way smarter than I am. And he’s the most stubborn person I’ve met in my life.”

Jughead was totally still, and Archie couldn’t read his expression in the dark. “But he’s been my best friend for years and years, and then I suddenly realized… I'd fallen for him.”

“Oh,” Jughead said, very softly.

Archie’s heart sank. “But I get it if he doesn’t… if you don’t…” But then he felt Jughead’s hand reach for his in the dark.

“I actually… like someone too. He’s on the football team, and he’s the most stubborn person _I’ve_ ever met.” Archie smiled, hardly daring to believe it, and Jughead went on, “But he’s loyal, and he somehow always sees the best in everyone. He even took a punch for me once.”

“I forgot about that,” Archie whispered.

He could almost hear Jughead roll his eyes. “Only you could forget that,” he said, and Archie laughed.

He leaned over and brushed his lips against Jughead’s, kissing him softly, as if he might disappear.

Suddenly Jughead reached over and ran his fingers through Archie’s hair and kissed him back and Archie’s mind went totally, blissfully blank.

He reached out and wrapped his arm around Jughead’s waist, pulling him closer. Jughead's hands cupped Archie's face, and then traced down to his chest.

And then Archie’s phone rang and Jughead jumped about a mile. “I didn't realize your phone was still in the pocket,” he said, laughing as he fished Archie's phone out.

“Sorry,” Archie said, kissing Jughead's cheek. “It's Veronica, I'd better answer before she sends Sheriff Keller looking for us.”

“Good idea,” Jughead said, scooting closer to Archie so he could lean against him.

“Hey Veronica, what's up?”

“We're at Pop's, where are you?” Veronica said, half-shouting over the excited voices in the background.

“We’re at the overlook,” Archie said, glancing down at Jughead.

“Well you'd better get your asses down here before they shut down the milkshake machine. Speaking of…” Veronica said in the least subtle segue ever, “are they going to be consolation milkshakes or celebratory milkshakes?”

Jughead turned and looked at Archie, confused, and Archie grinned. “Celebratory.”

“YES!” Veronica squealed, and the voices around her got even louder. “Ok, hurry up, you'll have time to make out later.”

“Thanks, Ronnie,” Archie laughed, and hung up.

“Celebratory milkshakes?” Jughead asked.

“Yeah, when Ronnie and I made our pact we promised to get milkshakes afterward, to celebrate or drown our sorrows.”

“So I guess that means we should go,” Jughead whispered, leaning in and kissing Archie slowly, like they had all the time in the world.

Archie sighed and ran his fingers through Jughead’s hair. Several minutes later Jughead came up for air and put his hands on Archie's chest. “Ok, we really should go or we'll never leave.”

“I'd be ok with that,” Archie said, and Jughead grinned.

“Until Veronica came looking for us,” he teased, standing up and offering Archie a hand. They grabbed the blankets and the empty cups and ran to the truck.

Once they were off the mountain, Archie reached over and took Jughead's hand, and it felt like a miracle.

As Archie made the turn toward Pop's, Jughead cleared his throat. “So, I don't care about labels and shit like that,” he said, “But Veronica _will_ ask, so I was thinking...”

“We should talk about it?” Archie said. “That's smart.”

He pulled into the parking lot and put the car in park before turning to Jughead. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, Juggie?”

Jughead smiled. “Yeah, I do,” he said shyly.

Archie's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. “Great. Cause I wanna be yours.”

Jughead leaned over to kiss him, but then glanced out the window. “It looks like we have a welcoming committee,” he said, and Archie looked over and saw Veronica and Betty running across the parking lot.

Archie laughed and kissed Jughead quickly. “I think I owe you a milkshake.”

Jughead smirked. “You definitely do.”

They climbed out of the truck and Veronica came hurtling into Archie's arms. “OMG I'm so excited!!” she squealed. “Hurry up!”

She grabbed Jughead's hand too and dragged them both into Pop's. Betty smiled apologetically. “How much sugar has she had tonight?” Archie whispered.

Before Betty had a chance to answer, Veronica said, “All of it! I've had all of the sugar!” she collapsed into the booth next to Kevin.

“That's not an exaggeration,” Kevin said. “I keep waiting for the crash, but so far it hasn't hit yet.”

“I do think you need some protein,” Betty said, and as if she had been conjured by magic, Lisa appeared.

“What can I get y'all?” she asked. Once she wrote down their orders, she turned to Veronica and Archie. “By the way, sorry I assumed y'all were a couple the other day. But you are all cute,” she winked and went back to put in the order.

“What was that about?” Kevin asked.

“Archie and I were talking about our feelings for Betty and Jughead, but Lisa thought we were dating each other.” Veronica said.

“So _that's_ what you were laughing about the other day,” Jughead said.

“Yeah,” Archie said. “And then you came in and I thought I was going to have a panic attack.”

“Sorry,” Jughead said, taking his hand. Veronica's eyebrows shot up, and she gave Betty a significant look. “What, I can't hold my boyfriend's hand?” Jughead said, deadpan.

Veronica looked like she was about to pass out, and Betty raised her water to Archie. “Good for you, Archie.”

“It was actually Jughead's idea, since he knew Ronnie would ask,” Archie said, laughing.

“Sure, that was the only reason,” Veronica said, and Jughead blushed.

Just then Lisa came over with the milkshakes. “Time for another toast,” Kevin said, holding his glass up. “To Archie and Jughead and Betty and Veronica. Love is confusing as all hell, but you figured it out. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” the others said, clinking their glasses. As Archie looked around the table, he couldn't believe it was possible to be this happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!! I had way too much fun figuring out who each character would dress as for a Hitchcock-themed dance. 
> 
> (In case you were wondering, Betty was Grace Kelly from To Catch a Thief, and Veronica was Ingrid Bergman aka Alicia Huberman from Notorious, one of the earlier Hitchcock films with a brunette actress!)

**Author's Note:**

> This is set halfway through Season 1, after Jason Blossom's death, but before all the other ~shenanigans~ begin.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! I appreciate it so much, so I hope you enjoy!


End file.
